Starting Strong – Calf Care

We all know replacement heifer health is important. When we think of this topic, we often think of respiratory health, foot and leg health, and other more common, physical health issues. But we also need to watch for heifer mastitis. You may be asking, “How does a heifer get mastitis before her first calving and

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator Transitioning a calf from its individual pen to a group pen can be very stressful. We always say three strikes and you’re out. That can really hit home for your transition calves. Stressors that can affect these animals are new location, socializing, feed change, locating feed and

By Kate Griswold, Cross Plains Wondermakers 4-H Club and Waunakee FFA Chapter Ever since I can remember, agriculture has been a part of my life. When I was eight, my dad bought our first Angus cow. Our herd has since grown to include multiple beef cows and a diverse realm of other animals including sheep,

It's mid-morning and the rain clouds are approaching. Your calves' starter and water pails sit outside the hutch. You know most of the calves still have a little grain left in their pails. You hate to throw it out and waste feed, but you know you can't leave it in the rain or you'll have

Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, located in Kewaunee, Wis., is the largest single family-owned dairy in Wisconsin. It all started in 1946 when Carl and Garnett Pagel purchased the farm with eight cows, eight pigs and some chickens. Since then, Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy has gone through tough times, but always managed to grow from those experiences. Pagel’s

The team at Dairy Dreams LLC values high quality calf care on its operation to ensure the best calf health around. Six years ago, Dairy Dreams purchased hutches and brought the calves home. The farm is currently building a heifer barn on the main farm to bring all heifers home and have all livestock in

Download a printable PDF Presentation When it comes to milk replacers, Dave Kuehnel, president of Milk Products LLC, knows the "in’s and out’s" of an ingredient label. During his presentation at Vita Plus Calf Summit, Kuehnel focused on an ingredient of milk replacer that may be more valuable in human food and medicine products: whey.

University of Wisconsin-Madison veterinarian Sheila McGuirk has several helpful hints when handling calves, particularly in stressful situations for youngstock, such as dehorning and vaccinations. She kicked off her wet lab presentation at Vita Plus Calf Summit by evaluating an animal for respiratory disease. She advised growers to look for the following symptoms, and if they

Dr. Max Thornsberry, veterinarian with Milk Specialties Global Animal Nutrition, has many years of experience in working with calves. Reiterating a few of Dr. Sheila McGuirk’s points, Thorsberry reminded calf raisers of the importance of proper handling during his Vita Plus Calf Summit wet lab presentation. Like McGuirk, Thornsberry urged producers to take their time

Download a printable PDF Presentation Bovine viral diarrhea viruses, also known as BVDV, affect all kinds of animals, including cattle, swine, llamas and more, according to Dr. Julia Ridpath with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Disease Center. Even though the word “diarrhea” is included in the name, the primary target of the virus is

Download a printable PDF Presentation J Hall has been raising calves for the past 15 years. He started his business with a few hutches and has grown to raising 5,000 calves under five months and 1,800 heifers five-months to springers. This year, he is planning to continue the expansion of his operation to accommodate the

Download a printable PDF Presentation Autofeeders have advanced since they were first released on the market. According to Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator, more advanced autofeeders come with a reconsideration of how to manage your facility. Hoskins said autofeeders are free-range feeding systems. They allow milk on demand for the calves that are

Download a printable PDF Presentation Adequately taking care of your calves and heifers today is important because they will be influencing the milking herd’s performance in 2014. It seems as though most farmers don't spend enough time focusing on the calves and heifers, and spend most of their time dealing with the milk producing cows,

Download a printable PDF Presentation Raising a healthy replacement heifer is a long, complicated process.  According to Dr. David Carlson, technical services with Milk Products LLC, calf growth is influenced by many factors, including genetics, environment, health and nutrition.  Understanding how all the factors work together can have a big impact on the management decisions

A veterinarian by training, Dr. Don Niles, co-owner and manager of Dairy Dreams, LLC, understands the value of good records to monitor calf performance. Prior to listening to his presentation at Vita Plus Calf Summit, attendees had the opportunity to visit the 2,800-cow dairy and see firsthand how good management goes a long way in

Download a printable PDF Presentation Animal stockmanship is important to ensure animals are cared for in the safest way. Dr. Paul Rapnicki, University of Minnesota, said his goal for stockmanship is to reconnect the dairy industry through employees, vets, herdsmen and more. Communication is the key to efficient and safe animal handling. Rapnicki said many